DS Claims EU Dominance 172
Gamasutra reports that, at least in the EU, the Nintendo DS has the portable war pretty much locked up for the time being. 200,000 units of the DS Lite were sold in the ten days after its launch. From the article: "According to Nintendo of Europe, the Nintendo DS has now secured the lead in the handheld market in Europe, with sales of the format exceeding 5 million. No sales figures from Sony are available to compare directly, with only a "shipped" figure of almost 6 million for all territories bar North America and Japan." Interestingly, 136,500 units were sold in the United States in just the first two days after the handheld console's launch.
UK (Score:5, Interesting)
Bo knows gaming (Score:4, Interesting)
It's especially fascinating to see Nintendo out-Sony Sony! The DS has great games with tiny load times, innovative display and control schemes, a low price, and backward compatibility. It's the big seller by an enormous margin even though the graphics pale in comparison to the very pretty PSP, which has loads of (severely locked-down) additional features, but I think people are much more comfortable carrying a clamshell portable game system than a scratch-prone beauty queen.
There are so many markets where the biggest names get the biggest sales, regardless of quality (fear not, I won't start my iPod rant). However, in the gaming world I feel fairly safe going with the crowd.
Big kudos to Nintendo for the DS. They've earned all the fanfare.
Still no WPA support (Score:2, Interesting)
Of course the GP2x has no built in WiFi at all, but it does seem like a missed opportunity for a product revision this late in the WEP-is-broken world.
Re:Hmm... (Score:3, Interesting)
Region-free=good (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:DS in US (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm evidently not alone on this opinion, heck ive had it listed on craigslist for 3 months with a more than reasonable price and failed to even get a nibble, around here it seems the PSP is already dead.
Re:Kill Whitey (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:UK (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Region-free=good (Score:4, Interesting)
The only real competitor of the DS is the PSP which is region-free, too (well, for games, but the DS is no movie player). So I really don't see how that would make a difference; I doubt many people replace their PS2/GCN/Xbox with a handheld because it's region-free.
The first real test to your theory will be the next-gen consoles because the PS3 is region-free (well, for games...) while the 360 isn't; iirc the Wii will be region-free, too, but I'm not sure.
Re:DS in US (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Bo knows gaming (Score:5, Interesting)
I would like to add to your comment that I have noticed the gaming industry is one of the most heavily-scrutinized industries by its consumers. This is a good thing.
To give you an idea of what I'm talk about, think about the automotive industry for a moment. It's a huge industry, and it's got a wide group of consumers, each of whom have their own understandings about the machine and those who make and sell them. Most people know very little about the real functionality and merit of the vehicles themselves, but usually make their purchasing decisions based on price (some people want shiny, expensive, things) and product loyalty. Honestly, how many people do you know are familiar not only with autos themselves, but understand the dynamics of the industry as a whole (including politics, alignment, strategies, past products, current products, future products) and can speculate the significance of each morsel? It amazes me to sit and watch a bunch of people my age (youngsters--20 and under) sit and analyze the video game industry. Some people are on a first name basis with numerous individuals in the industry, from business men to engineers!
I've seen people do this to sports and music, and I guess it's natural with video games because it is also a great form of entertainment and treasured pastime. It's too bad people can't be this concerned about politics. :)
Re:Not all of those things... (Score:2, Interesting)
The game [capcom.com] where you're a lawyer and can literally yell objection.
Yoshi Touch and Go [nintendods.com] which requires heavy use of the stylus.
Meteos [nintendods.com] which would be a different game without a touch screen (the ability to "launch" blocks with the stylus is half the game).
The Pac Man [namco.com] game where the action is totally controlled by drawing.
Lost Magic [ubi.com] the first RPG with immersive spell casting.
Trace Memory [tracememory.com] makes use of nearly every DS bit of functionality.
The Princess Peach [nintendo.com] game which has levels and a mini-game that require blowing into the mic. Sexual innuendo, a lot of DS games seem to require blowing.
The Bomberman [ubi.com] game where, in multiplayer, you can set bombs or blow them up by yelling nonsense.
Of course Warioware [warioware.biz] which has tons of way to play with the stylus.
Re:Region-free=good (Score:2, Interesting)
The original Xbox had this as well. I had a friend bring some games he purchased in Canada when he was living there back to Australia, and several turned out to play fine in my (Australian) Xbox. From memory it was Unreal Championship and something else.